Published: Monday, 19 Jul 2010 | 11:32 AM ET
By: AP (with my own comments added)
President Barack Obama took aim at Republican lawmakers Monday, accusing them of holding the public hostage to Washington politics by blocking extended unemployment benefits for millions of out of work Americans.

"It's time to do what's right, not for the next election, but for the middle class," Obama said in a presidential jawboning statement in the Rose Garden Monday morning.

If thats the case Mr Obama, then why are you trying to destroy the middle class?

Lawmakers have battled for weeks over legislation extending unemployment benefits to workers who have been out of a job for long stretches of time. The last such extension expired at the end of May, leaving some 2.5 million people without benefits.

The Senate is set to take up the measure again Tuesday, immediately following the swearing in of a replacement for the late Sen. Robert Byrd. Filling that seat will give Democrats the 60 votes they need to block a Republican filibuster.

Republicans dont have the balls to filibuster anything these days

Obama's argument has become a familiar one, as Democrats try to use the Republican blockade of unemployment benefits as a wedge issue heading into the November midterm elections.

Thats the only reason why Dems care about this.... so they can use it as a tool. They dont give a rats ass about us out here in the real world (not the Mtv version)

On Monday, he sought to cast his Republican opponents as hypocritical for having voted for extensions of unemployment benefits when his Republican predecessor, President George W. Bush, was in the White House, but not now. He accused Republican leaders of subscribing to what he called a misguided notion that providing unemployment aid to people lowers their incentive to look hard for a job.

It does lower the incentive...(on some, not all) I know a bunch of folks who were happy taking the gov't check. When it got close to running out... they ran out and mysteriously found a job. Go figure
And.... I was against it when GW did it too.

"That attitude, I think, reflects a lack of faith in the American people," Obama said.

Since when do you have faith in us Mr Obama? You lying sack of crap!

The president said that the out-of-work people he hears from are "not looking for a handout. They desperately want to work. Just not right now, they can't find a job."

Hmmm... I wonder why they cant find a job.
Could it be because buisinesses are deathly afraid of what YOU and your ilk may do to them next year??????

"These are honest, decent, hardworking folks who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own." Ummmm duuuhhhhh....
The $34 billion needed to extend benefits would be borrowed, adding to the nation's mounting debt. Republicans have tapped into the public's anger and concern over the national debt, saying they would support extending jobless benefits only if the bill was paid for.

What the heck ever happened to "PAY - GO" ???? The dems agreed to not making anymore entitlements unless they cut something first in order to pay for it.
(Under the PAYGO rules a new proposal must either be "budget neutral" or offset with savings derived from existing funds.)

"Everyone agrees on extending the additional unemployment insurance, but the Democrat way is to insist we add it to the national debt at the same time, while blocking Republican efforts to pass the same extension without the debt," said Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"Everyone agrees on extending the additional unemployment insurance, but the Democrat way is to insist we add it to the national debt at the same time, while blocking Republican efforts to pass the same extension without the debt," said Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Click to expand...

No, Mr. Stewart, everyone does NOT agree on extending unemployment insurance or the dickheads on your side of the aisle wouldn't be holding it up.

Btw, the OP didn't include Boner's response:

The President knows that Republicans support extending unemployment insurance, and doing it in a fiscally-responsible way by cutting spending elsewhere in the $3 trillion federal budget," said House Minority Leader John Boehner.

Click to expand...

No, asshole, the President does NOT know you GOoPers support that. That's why he's publicly calling you guys out for not exending it.

The Repubs had themselves two wars, failed both of them, and reduced taxes at the same time. So now they want to keep those tax breaks for the wealthy, 600 billion for people that have never missed a meal, and cut the unemployment for the middle class and working poor, when there are no jobs.

I really think that we should re-institute the taxes that were in place after WW2, until the cost of those two wars are paid for.

The Repubs had themselves two wars, failed both of them, and reduced taxes at the same time. So now they want to keep those tax breaks for the wealthy, 600 billion for people that have never missed a meal, and cut the unemployment for the middle class and working poor, when there are no jobs.

I really think that we should re-institute the taxes that were in place after WW2, until the cost of those two wars are paid for.

Click to expand...

Worse, we subsidize oil companies to the tune of 35 billion a year enacted under the "Bush/Cheney" energy policy. When that repeal was brought up to the senate, every single Republican voted against it.

the Senate rejected a proposal to eliminate about $35 billion in tax subsidies to oil companies as millions of gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) proposed using these funds to reduce the deficit and fund state energy efficiency programs. The Sanders plan to close these loopholes lost by a vote of 35-61, with every Republican voting against it.

Or we could cut taxes and cut wasteful spending and let people create their own jobs without worrying about the government taking their hard earned money.

But for some reason cutting the budget is so taboo. I mean. Why on earth would it make sense to actually pay down our debt and not incurr more of it. I mean seriously, we should just borrow and spend like we have no tomorrow. Ironically, if we keep doing that we will have no tomorrow.

How many times does history need to repeat itself before we actually learn from it?

Or we could cut taxes and cut wasteful spending and let people create their own jobs without worrying about the government taking their hard earned money.

But for some reason cutting the budget is so taboo. I mean. Why on earth would it make sense to actually pay down our debt and not incurr more of it. I mean seriously, we should just borrow and spend like we have no tomorrow. Ironically, if we keep doing that we will have no tomorrow.

How many times does history need to repeat itself before we actually learn from it?

Click to expand...

So you're saying we should cut defense spending? Leave Iraq and Afghanistan? We should stop paying subsidies to oil companies? Repeal the Republican drug give a way plan for votes that cost 1.3 trillion.

In fact, what about these insurance companies? With their hefty increases in rates? What are they even paying for? Better doctors? Or richer CEOs?

In fact, if rich people want to live here, let them contribute. Why should they get enormous tax breaks?

I had a garden once. I found that if I tended it, helped it, nurtured it, the more I put in, the more I got back.

Or we could cut taxes and cut wasteful spending and let people create their own jobs without worrying about the government taking their hard earned money.

But for some reason cutting the budget is so taboo. I mean. Why on earth would it make sense to actually pay down our debt and not incurr more of it. I mean seriously, we should just borrow and spend like we have no tomorrow. Ironically, if we keep doing that we will have no tomorrow.

How many times does history need to repeat itself before we actually learn from it?

Click to expand...

So you're saying we should cut defense spending? Leave Iraq and Afghanistan? We should stop paying subsidies to oil companies? Repeal the Republican drug give a way plan for votes that cost 1.3 trillion.

In fact, what about these insurance companies? With their hefty increases in rates? What are they even paying for? Better doctors? Or richer CEOs?

In fact, if rich people want to live here, let them contribute. Why should they get enormous tax breaks?

I had a garden once. I found that if I tended it, helped it, nurtured it, the more I put in, the more I got back.

Republicans just want to take. Fuck the garden.

Click to expand...

Yah , I'm gonna say that most of those who take without putting anything into the system are in fact Dems.

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